Drainage trustees approve spreading assessments, DD62 change order and beaver‑dam work order

When the Board of Supervisors convened as drainage trustees, county drainage staff and outside engineers presented multiple reports and cost estimates for 2026 work. Trustees accepted engineers’ reports, approved joint drainage‑district assessments with neighboring counties and authorized spreading eligible assessments for 10 years in accordance with Iowa Code §468.57.

Courtney Morris, drainage administrator, explained a change order for DD62: a partial cleanout of roughly 2.5 miles of open ditch to remove silt, improve flow and allow reuse of excavated material, increasing the project estimate from about $82,443 to $100,000. Trustees approved change order No. 1 to proceed with the cleanout.

Trustees also reviewed and approved a draft beaver‑dam removal work order and an updated beaver‑trapping reimbursement form; the board asked staff to include packaging rules for tails and to consider collection points (for example, the conservation office) for traps brought in for reimbursement.

Morris presented the full set of 2026 drainage district assessments and the trustees adopted the assessments as submitted. The meeting included review and payment authorization for multiple drainage invoices and work orders that will be implemented by county engineering and approved contractors.

Next steps include scheduling and executing the DD62 cleanout under the new budget estimate and finalizing the beaver trapping procedure language for collection and reimbursement.